Methods and apparatus to monitor subscriber activity

• US 9,509,839 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Hurst, Jennifer Ann, Fogle, Eric, Stoffel, Paul, LeBreton, Alison
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US14/486,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20150003601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221.02, 379/221.13, 379/201.01, 455/406
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to respond to monitor subscriber activity are disclosed. An example method includes receiving a first set of client telephone number (TN) data associated with a client and a current time period, and receiving a second set of client TN data associated with a prior time period. The example method also includes receiving a first set of subscriber activity data associated with the current time period, identifying a TN that is in the first set of subscriber activity data and is absent from at least one of the first or second sets of client TN data, and identifying the TN with at least one of a new inroad for a competitor or a new inroad for the client based on at least one activity code from the first set of subscriber activity data.

Claims

1. A method to identify a telecommunication service provider, comprising:

reducing a number of queries to third-party databases to improve a query efficiency by;

verifying quality of an obtained set of service provider telephone number (TN) data including a plurality of TNs, the verifying of the quality indicative of a characteristic of the set of service provide data satisfying a threshold;

in response to verifying the quality of the set of service provider TN data, initiating a local number portability query of each of the plurality of TNs;

obtaining an operating carrier name (OCN) for each of the plurality of TNs; and

identifying a service provider associated with a TN when a match is found between a corresponding OCN and a mapping database, the reducing of the number of queries indicative of a reduced cost in identifying a telecommunication service provider; and

determining an effectiveness of market activity of the service provider by crediting, via a process engine, the service provider with a winback when the TN is absent from a first threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods and the TN is associated with a disconnect code from a second threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the service provider is associated with a carrier identifier in the mapping database.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 further including:

identifying a market identifier associated with the TN;

determining a match between the OCN and the market identifier in the mapping database; and

associating the TN with a corresponding service provider when the market identifier and the OCN match.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 further including:

identifying a zip code associated with the TN;

determining a match between the OCN and the zip code in the mapping database; and

associating the TN with a corresponding service provider when the zip code and the OCN match.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 further including:

identifying a first local routing number (LRN) associated with the TN;

determining a match between the first LRN and a second LRN in the mapping database; and

associating the TN with a corresponding service provider when the first LRN and the second LRN match.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 further including generating a report based on winbacks for each of the plurality of TNs.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 further including crediting a competitor with a new inroad when the TN is not owned by the service provider.

8. An apparatus to identify a telecommunication service provider, comprising:

a customer data retriever to verify quality of a set of service provider telephone number (TN) data including a plurality of TNs, the verifying of the quality indicative of a characteristic of the set of service provider data satisfying a threshold;

a local number portability (LNP) engine to determine an operating carrier name (OCN) associated with the plurality of TNs when the quality of the set of service provider TN data is verified;

a carrier mapping engine to identify, based on a reduced number of queries to third-party databases, a match between the OCN and a service provider in a mapping database, the reducing of the number of queries indicative of a reduced cost in identifying a telecommunication service provider;

a process engine to credit the service provider with a winback when the TN is absent from a first threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods and the TN is associated with a disconnect code from a second threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods; and

a report generator to determine an effectiveness of market activity of the service provider based on the process engine crediting the service provider with the winback.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the service provider is associated with a carrier identifier in the mapping database.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the carrier mapping engine is to:

identify a market identifier associated a TN; and

associate the TN with a corresponding service provider when the market identifier and the OCN match in the mapping database.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the carrier mapping engine is to:

identify a zip code associated with a TN; and

associate the TN with a corresponding service provider when then zip code and the OCN match in the mapping database.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the carrier mapping engine is to:

identify a first local routing number (LRN) associated with a TN; and

associate the TN with a corresponding service provider when the first LRN and the second LRN match.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the report generator is to generate a report based on winbacks for each of the plurality of TNs.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the process engine is to credit a competitor with a new inroad when the TN is not owned by the service provider.

15. A non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

reduce a number of queries to third-party databases to improve a query efficiency by;

verifying quality of an obtained set of service provider telephone number (TN) data including a plurality of TNs, the verifying of the quality indicative of a characteristic of the set of service provider data satisfying a threshold;

initiating a local number portability query of each of the plurality of TNs when the quality of the set of service provider TN data is verified;

obtaining an operating carrier name (OCN) for each of the plurality of TNs; and

identifying a service provider associated with a TN when a match is found between a corresponding OCN and a mapping database, the reducing of the number of queries indicative of a reduced cost in identifying a telecommunication service provider; and

determine an effectiveness of market activity of the service provider by crediting the service provider with a winback when the TN is absent from a first threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods and the TN is associated with a disconnect code from a second threshold number of subscriber activity data sets associated with prior time periods.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:

identify a market identifier associated with the TN;

determine a match between the OCN and the market identifier in the mapping database; and

associate the TN with a corresponding service provider when the market identifier and the OCN match.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:

identify a zip code associated with the TN;

determine a match between the OCN and the zip code in the mapping database; and

associate the TN with a corresponding service provider when the zip code and the OCN match.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to:

identify a first local routing number (LRN) associated with the TN;

determine a match between the first LRN and a second LRN in the mapping database; and

associate the TN with a corresponding service provider when the first LRN and the second LRN match.

19. The non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate a report based on winbacks for each of the plurality of TNs.

20. The non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to credit a competitor with a new inroad when the TN is not owned by the service provider.